Rabbi Sara Gilbert: Voting is a spiritual duty

Bombarded by ads on TV, radio, all media and constant reports about campaigns in every part of the country, we all are aware that the upcoming midterm elections are only a couple of weeks away. And, between campaign ads we hear news of too many crises occurring in our country and throughout the world. The environment is at risk as temperatures rise even so slightly. Shootings in schools and elsewhere are rampant. Insults and harassment of women become the norm. Refugee families are suffering in too many parts of the world. Illness is spreading in underdeveloped countries, as is corruption. Each of us feels tragedy acutely. Each of us asks what to do, how to help? What can one person do?

In our Jewish tradition, there is a response to which we all must reply. And, of course, this response is required not only of members of the Jewish community, but required of all people of good will. We must speak up and make our voices heard when our fellows are in need of support. There is a term in Hebrew: sh'tika k' hoh-dayyah, meaning silence implies consent. If we do not speak up ourselves, we're just agreeing with whatever is happening. Silence in the face of injury is one of the greatest of human transgressions. Silence is not acceptable. Standing idly by is not an option. We also live by a message taught by our Sages two thousand years ago (in a text called “Pirkei Avot”). The Sages say: “It is not incumbent upon you to complete the work, but neither are you at liberty to desist from it.” A great scholar, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, said as he reflected upon the horror of the Holocaust and those who stood idly by at that time: some are guilty, but all are responsible.

Truly there is no such thing as silent neutrality. We cannot stand idly by. We cannot be silent. Whether you complete your write-in ballot now or step up on Election Day Nov. 6, we each must celebrate the freedom to vote, AND we must fulfill our obligation to make each voice heard in order to make the world a better place. It is your spiritual duty. Do not be silent.